Attempted abduction reported at the mall

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, April 27, 2009

A woman has reported to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office that she escaped an attempted abduction by an armed man Monday at The Woodlands Mall, MCSO officials said.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday that the woman reported being approached by an armed man, who ordered her into her vehicle and drive away. The man, described by the woman as Mexican-American and who spoke “pretty fluent English,” the woman said, flashed a small silver pistol. She said she managed to close her car door and drive away from the suspect.

“I can’t believe this is happening in The Woodlands,” said the 46-year-old victim, Florence, who asked that her last name not be used out of fear of retaliation by the attempted abductor. “This is one of the safest places and now I’m very much afraid.”

No arrests have been made, MCSO Lt. Dan Norris said.

Florence said she had just ended a phone call with her daughter around 5:25 p.m. and walked out of the men’s clothing department exit from Dillards, carrying a small bag and her purse. She held the plastic shopping bag above her head to slow the rain and hurried out to her sports utility vehicle parked several spaces away from the store entrance. She sat down inside, pausing before pulling her feet in and closing the door. That’s when the man approached her.

“He started screaming, ‘Unlock the door. Unlock the door, or I’m going to kill you. Unlock the door,’” Florence said.

“He said don’t scream, and at first I thought he was going to rob me,” Florence said. “Then he said, ‘Unlock the back door. I’m going to get in and we’re going to get out of there. If you don’t do exactly what I say, I’m going to kill you.’”

She then started the SUV and pulled out of her parking spot.

When she closed her car door, the man hurried away, and when she pulled out of the parking spot, driving right at him, he pulled off his sandals and ran into Dillards, she said.

Florence stopped her vehicle in front of the store entrance and honked the horn until a Dillards employee came outside to see what was wrong. Florence said she asked the woman to call 9-1-1, and told her a man with a gun had just run into the store.

MCSO spokesman Lt. Dan Norris said no report was filed on the incident Monday, but did confirm that a deputy responded to the mall on Monday and that a deputy spoke with Florence the same evening.

“When she reported that to mall security they did call. … (Our) officers were looking for the suspect in and outside of the mall (Monday),” Norris said.

The victim said she met with members of the mall’s security force, but left the scene before deputies arrived, fearing the man and a possible accomplice might still be in the area. She decided to go home, calling MCSO and speaking with a deputy.

John Pew, The Woodlands Mall’s senior general manger, would not verify that mall security is involved in any investigation related to the attempted abduction.

“We don’t discuss security issues because discussing (them) sometimes hinders our ability to provide security,” he said. “Security is the number one priority for the mall. We have a well-known national private security company that specializes in mall security, we have the mounted patrol here with The Woodlands and we recently installed closed-circuit TV cameras to monitor the parking lot as well as the mall.”

Florence said the man who accosted her was wearing a dark shirt and bottoms, either shorts or pants, and brown sandals. She described the man as 5 feet, 2 inches to 5 feet, 4 inches, and between the ages of 17 and 27.

Montgomery County Crime Stoppers will pay up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or indictment. Call (800) 392-7867 or visit the Crime Stoppers website at www.montgomerycountycrimestoppers.org.